Post-Game Talk: Detroit wins 4th in a row! Wings 2 - Ducks 1

[8snake]

8snake, you seem to be switching gears, here. Do you still consider Frk it a Blashill apologist? Right now it looks like the contention is switching to the weakness of the roster l, which isn't exactly something Blashill has a lot of control over.

Nobody is calling Blashill a Jack Adam's candidate. I think with this roster he is plenty satisfactory considering a HoF coach left and the team is basically in the same position. We improved in some respects roster-wise but out core has been one of the worst aspects of our team and has partially negated those improvememts. Seems like another middle of the road 1st round exit team, Blashill or not.

I was unaware that Frk was essentially responding to one poster over the course of the season regarding Blashill's performance...so with some context I understand his perspective. At the same time to say he's done a "good job"...I'm fine with Blashill but I don't see us with an advantage from a schematic or strategic standpoint. We have a mediocre roster and we've been mediocre throughout the season. So in essence we haven't underperformed or played a level above our collective talent. That's not a "good job" to me.

 

[Pavels Dog]

I'm not overly impressed with Blashill but I'm fine with him at this point...the composition and management of this roster is far more of an issue. We don't have a #2 d-man on this team, let alone a #1. Think about that. We leaned on Kronwall until his wheels came off (and they've been wobbling and finally fell off in a major way this year) and now we have a bunch of depth d-men and no stand out, game changing ability. Just one example of how poorly run things have been going on several years.

The center position is most definitely a weak spot now on this roster.

So let me get this straight, you think we don't have a top-pairing d-man on the team and only depth d-men, and you think our centers are a point of weakness AND you're not impressed by Blashill?

You really think this team is all Mrazek or what?

 

[Heaton]

Datsyuk isn't what he once was but that's to be expected. He has 13 points in his last 17 games and is still dominant possession wise.

If we had weak centers and weak defense we wouldn't be 3rd in the East.

Datsyuk and Zetterberg are both still 60+ point players. That's 1C production in this league.

What's the issue with our forwards then? Because we currently have no one on pace to score 60 points. Our forward group, and especially centers, are trending down.

 

[8snake]

This team relies heavily on it's goaltending...so in that regard yes. When Pete or Jimmy are off their game for the most part we have no chance. As I said earlier, the overall talent level on this team is mediocre and we've been decidedly mediocre in a division and conference that is...the epitome of mediocrity. So I don't think Blashill has performed some kind of wizardry to keep us competitive. I'm fine with him as coach but that's about it.

 

[Henkka]

Strong game from Ericsson and Abdelkader.

And Larkin works absolutely great with Sheahan.

Point is, who does not work with Larkin? All the season best line is where Larkin is.


***

Nyquist should be traded for a proven net-front player like Andrew Ladd.

Guy has lost everything when getting that fat contract.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

I was unaware that Frk was essentially responding to one poster over the course of the season regarding Blashill's performance...so with some context I understand his perspective. At the same time to say he's done a "good job"...I'm fine with Blashill but I don't see us with an advantage from a schematic or strategic standpoint. We have a mediocre roster and we've been mediocre throughout the season. So in essence we haven't underperformed or played a level above our collective talent. That's not a "good job" to me.

For a rookie coach, I don't think there is anything wrong with that. Defending him does not equate to saying he is a great or amazing coach.

 

[Frk It]

I was unaware that Frk was essentially responding to one poster over the course of the season regarding Blashill's performance...so with some context I understand his perspective. At the same time to say he's done a "good job"...I'm fine with Blashill but I don't see us with an advantage from a schematic or strategic standpoint. We have a mediocre roster and we've been mediocre throughout the season. So in essence we haven't underperformed or played a level above our collective talent. That's not a "good job" to me.

Thanks for reconsidering. As Pavel's Dog pointed out though, if you are conceding we don't have a #1 or #2 defenseman on the roster, a rookie coach having said roster 3rd in the conference is worthy of the praise of a "good job" done IMO.

He could do some things better. He kept lines together way too long that weren't working. He could probably be a little harder on Nyquist and Tatar to try and get them going. He played Glendening way too much to start the year. He can improve, and I think he will. Wouldn't say he's done a great job by any means, but I think he's been "good" so far.

 

[taliababa]

Strong game from Ericsson and Abdelkader.

And Larkin works absolutely great with Sheahan.

Point is, who does not work with Larkin? All the season best line is where Larkin is.


***

Nyquist should be traded for a proven net-front player like Andrew Ladd.

Guy has lost everything when getting that fat contract.

I'd happily trade Nyquist and/or Tatar + anyone not named Larkin or Mrazek for a #1D.

 

[Pavels Dog]

This team relies heavily on it's goaltending...so in that regard yes. When Pete or Jimmy are off their game for the most part we have no chance. As I said earlier, the overall talent level on this team is mediocre and we've been decidedly mediocre in a division and conference that is...the epitome of mediocrity. So I don't think Blashill has performed some kind of wizardry to keep us competitive. I'm fine with him as coach but that's about it.

What's wrong with having great goaltending though? Holland has built that part of the roster too. A Mrazek/Howard tandem is strong and often able to compensate for our D not being the best. In the past this board was dying for elite goaltending that could steal games for us. Now we have it and everyone complains about it. Go figure.

 

[DanZ]

What's the issue with our forwards then? Because we currently have no one on pace to score 60 points. Our forward group, and especially centers, are trending down.

The defense. Hard to score goals with an offensively inept defense.

I mean, if our defense sucks and our forwards suck than Blashill really is a ****ing amazing coach I guess, right?

 

[Frk It]

What's wrong with having great goaltending though? Holland has built that part of the roster too. A Mrazek/Howard tandem is strong and often able to compensate for our D not being the best. In the past this board was dying for elite goaltending that could steal games for us. Now we have it and everyone complains about it. Go figure.

To be fair, goaltending is fairly inconsistent in nature. I like Mrazek a lot, but I have trust issues with the position.

It's a good compensation, like you said, but the defense needs to improve as well.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

The defense. Hard to score goals with an offensively inept defense.

I mean, if our defense sucks and our forwards suck than Blashill really is a ****ing amazing coach I guess, right?

Tell me how exactly you expect our defense to contribute more offensively? What specifically aren't they doing that everyone else is? Our puck movement from the back end is much, much better than it was last year.

We can't score goals because we are a perimeter team in the offensive zone that can't consistently get the puck to the low slot.

 

[14ari13]

I was curious about Mrazek compared to other goalies so I did some light digging into his stats.

First of all, he's got 7 shutouts in 69 regular season games. That's over 10%. That's elite status. Howard has 21 in 346 games. Guys like Lundqvist, Price, Rask are all hovering around 9-10%. Who knows if he can keep that up but I like it. Basically means he's gifting us a win every 10 games.

8th best SV since 2009. 6th best if you cut out the two guys who've played fewer than 50 games. 11th best GAA or 7th best if you cut out the 4 with fewer than 50 games.

He's already putting up top10 goalie numbers. Kid is amazing.

I like Mrazek a lot, but I would not jump the gun. We have seen many goalies come into the league and look great, but after some time they get figured out and can't sustain the great play. That being said, let's hope, Mrazek will.

It would be nice if they were just coasting through the regular season and find another gear in the playoffs. That could put us over the top. Sometimes I feel like Datsyuk is just coasting out there. As long as we're in a playoff spot I'm ok with it.

Same here. I think both he and Z can bring it on when it counts.

You're an apologist...and it's pathetic to see. This is not sustainable hockey. Pete isn't Hasek or Roy yet, and leaning on our goaltending while we continue to look almost inept offensively will lead to nothing but a continuation of what we've already seen. If you're taking every criticism of the offense, PP and lack of consistency as an attack on Blashill maybe you need to realize that it's a combination of factors...Holland's roster management being culprit numero uno. This isn't just a Blashill problem.

You realize there 2 teams ahead of us in the standings and both ones relying heavily on goaltending? You also noticed how the Habs won the cup in November , but as they lost Price they might even miss the playoffs.

Holland apologist...no. Blashill apologist...yup. Every time a criticism is made about this team...and there are SEVERAL flaws inherent to this roster before Blashill even got here...you defend Blashill and the job he has done. So we've won 4 straight, at times being out played and at no time looking dominant or overly impressive and you won't complain, even though nothing about this winning streak has been impressive aside from Larkin and Pete. It's not sustainable hockey.

That's the way you win on the road.

I mean, what do you expect? They are both at the tail ends of their careers and have taken a ton of wear over the years. They are both producing at a very good level for guys in their situations. They could be Vinny Lecavalier for God sakes...

I see that Crosby, Teows, Kopitar, Stamkos ... are doing much better

What's the issue with our forwards then? Because we currently have no one on pace to score 60 points. Our forward group, and especially centers, are trending down.

The game has changed, the league has very little big point producers. Just check the stats and you will see that many forwards who are even in their prime struggle to produce.


Great win.

 

[DanZ]

Tell me how exactly you expect our defense to contribute more offensively? What specifically aren't they doing that everyone else is? Our puck movement from the back end is much, much better than it was last year.

We can't score goals because we are a perimeter team in the offensive zone that can't consistently get the puck to the low slot.

It's not that they aren't contributing, it's that I don't think we have the defensive personnel to support a top offense. The defense is very average in terms of offensive ability, and even that might be generous. Only Green has shown any sort of decent and consistent offensive ability from our blue line. I think a trade(s) to bring in some quality offensive puck movers would do wonders for our offense.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

I don't get the Blashill hate. I seriously doubt Babcock would have us in any better a position. Blashill is only playing the cards he's been dealt and they aren't that good.

 

[BinCookin]

For a rookie coach, I don't think there is anything wrong with that. Defending him does not equate to saying he is a great or amazing coach.

I think there are alot of things to say about our team and roster. But if i could boil it down to 1 word I would say this:

Average.

Are former superstar talents Z and D and trending back towards "average" top line Centers.

We have alot of young guys Tatar, Sheahan, Nyquist, Abdelkader, Helm who are performing at an "average" rate at their respective positions.

Our 2 free agent signings are playing OK. Not amazing, not horribly... just about average.

We are getting decent goaltending.
We have a good Rookie and some average ones.

We just let the "best coach in the world" walk, and hired our AHL coach who has us in about the same position as last year (average). OVerall good move not paying 50 million for a guy we basically replaced for much much less

Bottom line is this is more of a TEAM than we have ever had before.

The Defense is an "everyone has to play well" for us to compete.
The Forwards is an "everyone has to play well" for us to compete.

Overall I am quite happy with how our team has played. Welcome to a team with no superstars created from solid drafting of lower level draft picks.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Some of you should probably re-examine the term mediocre in my opinion. We are 8th overall in the league out of 30 teams, second in our division and third in our conference though the NYR have a game in hand so they can tie us for third.

They win a lot of close games, they have lost their fare share as well, but we know where a lot of close games are played come playoff time.

They are a work in progress, but the Wings aren't awful by any stretch and heck they aren't even middle of the pack as we speak, sorry not buying it.

This is the best this team has played since before the wheels fell off at the back-end of 2012 with namely injuries and other things, like our coach getting worked by Trotz in a first round embarrassment....

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Best since 2012? I don't buy that. The Wings were 29-12-9 last year at the end of January. That was good enough for 6th in the league overall and just 3 points behind the league-leading Ducks and just 1 point behind the Eastern Conference-leading Lightning.

Of course, the Wings collapsed thereafter. But then who knows how long the Wings stay 3rd in the East this year. It's not like the Wings are dominant, in fact, most nights we win the other team's forum is like "Wait, how did we lose this?" because god knows they probably had 30-40 shots on goal.

 

[8snake]

Some of you should probably re-examine the term mediocre in my opinion. We are 8th overall in the league out of 30 teams, second in our division and third in our conference though the NYR have a game in hand so they can tie us for third.

They win a lot of close games, they have lost their fare share as well, but we know where a lot of close games are played come playoff time.

They are a work in progress, but the Wings aren't awful by any stretch and heck they aren't even middle of the pack as we speak, sorry not buying it.

This is the best this team has played since before the wheels fell off at the back-end of 2012 with namely injuries and other things, like our coach getting worked by Trotz in a first round embarrassment....

I was waiting for you to chime in with something asinine like your last sentence. You're a big Blashill fan so that automatically discredits you from giving any sort of perspective based in reality...but making a statement like this the best this team has looked in 3 years is laughable. I'm not sure there's one poster on this board who would agree with that sentiment, and if they did I would question their understanding of the basic aspects of hockey just as I question yours. If you genuinely believe this is the best this team has played in 3 years I'll let the ridiculousness of that comment stand on it's own without any need to debate it further.

 

[8snake]

Best since 2012? I don't buy that. The Wings were 29-12-9 last year at the end of January. That was good enough for 6th in the league overall and just 3 points behind the league-leading Ducks and just 1 point behind the Eastern Conference-leading Lightning.

Of course, the Wings collapsed thereafter. But then who knows how long the Wings stay 3rd in the East this year. It's not like the Wings are dominant, in fact, most nights we win the other team's forum is like "Wait, how did we lose this?" because god knows they probably had 30-40 shots on goal.

A comment like that isn't even worth discussing...it's so ludicrous I shouldn't have even responded to it.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

I was waiting for you to chime in with something asinine like your last sentence. You're a big Blashill fan so that automatically discredits you from giving any sort of perspective based in reality...but making a statement like this the best this team has looked in 3 years is laughable. I'm not sure there's one poster on this board who would agree with that sentiment, and if they did I would question their understanding of the basic aspects of hockey just as I question yours. If you genuinely believe this is the best this team has played in 3 years I'll let the ridiculousness of that comment stand on it's own without any need to debate it further.

Would love an explanation on this???

Can I discredit everyone that is a big Babcock fan???

We have seen solid improvement month to month in the new system. Are heading the right direction, have added a puck mover of substance for the first time since that year. Play with more pace and support all over the ice.

Yes I believe this is the best we have been since 2012, that is my opinion. It isn't based just on Blashill, though I remain a big fan of his system and the coach I believe he already is and moreso the one he is evolving into. But Green and Richards are solid additions, the young guys are further in development and we have a stud youngster up. The big three have seen a drop in play and we are still chugging a long.

Lots to like about this team... Two stud building blocks moving forward in Larkin and Mrazek... Plus lots of complimentary talent.

If we can land Buff look out in my opinion.

Either way this team isn't mediocre is the biggest point there. Their performance and results hasn't been in my opinion.

 

[BinCookin]

A comment like that isn't even worth discussing...it's so ludicrous I shouldn't have even responded to it.

man 8snake. What are you positive about?

Just to be clear, I feel I am one of the more "up-beat" people on this board. Not everyone is an apologist.

To be quite frank the team is performing very well.

Sure we would like to have alot more superstars. But instead of just being a negative nancy... what ideas do you actually have? or are you afraid others will criticize them?

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Ehhh I don't know if you're an apologist but you're probably a fanboy. I mean this is the weakest the Wings have been at two key positions - C and D - since I've been in grade school.

 

[8snake]

man 8snake. What are you positive about?

Just to be clear, I feel I am one of the more "up-beat" people on this board. Not everyone is an apologist.

To be quite frank the team is performing very well.

Sure we would like to have alot more superstars. But instead of just being a negative nancy... what ideas do you actually have? or are you afraid others will criticize them?

I've let my ideas be known for several years, and they aren't much different than what many have posted here over that time. I don't claim to be smarter than everyone or think my ideas are bulletproof. This defense should have been torn down and rebuilt 2-3 years ago. Some of our younger forwards up front should have been moved and used as pieces to upgrade the roster. Right now every aspect of this team is underwhelming...we aren't a very big team, we aren't a very fast team, we aren't a very tough team, we aren't a very skilled team. We certainly arent a very entertaining team. We don't have a calling card...a strength that can dictate to opponents. We are the epitome of a average...of mediocre. What do I like? I love Larkin. He's a true building block. I think Pete has outstanding ability and if he finds that consistency in goal he can be a top tier goalie. Other than that...nothing on this roster excites me or has me optimistic.

 

[BinCookin]

I've let my ideas be known for several years, and they aren't much different than what many have posted here over that time. I don't claim to be smarter than everyone or think my ideas are bulletproof. This defense should have been torn down and rebuilt 2-3 years ago. Some of our younger forwards up front should have been moved and used as pieces to upgrade the roster. Right now every aspect of this team is underwhelming...we aren't a very big team, we aren't a very fast team, we aren't a very tough team, we aren't a very skilled team. We certainly arent a very entertaining team. We don't have a calling card...a strength that can dictate to opponents. We are the epitome of a average...of mediocre. What do I like? I love Larkin. He's a true building block. I think Pete has outstanding ability and if he finds that consistency in goal he can be a top tier goalie. Other than that...nothing on this roster excites me or has me optimistic.

I think our team has a decent amount of speed, When AA makes the team it should be a significant strength. I think our overall forward skill is good.

You are right we are missing high end talent on the D side.

But I dont see how we could have made the defense much better. Sure we could have traded away the players we have. I just don't see which ones we could have added at a "reasonable" price.